What seems like an ordinary wine tasting room hides a secret cellar. Cantina del Notaio has a strong reputation for making excellent wines in the volcanic soil of Mt. Vulture. Its wine shop is on the main street in Rionero and looks like any ordinary storefront. But go down to see the barrels and you find yourself below the streets of town in old chambers of stone and brick, the ideal temperature and humidity for wine storage.
There is a magical, almost mystical atmosphere in the chambers, carved out of the volcanic tufa rock, that have been used since since the 1600s. You’ll be guided through catacomb-like passages to see the barrels filled with their award-winning Aglianico del Vulture DOC, contentedly aging snug underground, and the rows of spumante undergoing its second fermentation in the bottles, perched on special racks.
The underground grottoes hide some religious inscriptions and breathe out centuries of history in their depths. The passageways end at a surprise – an elaborate handmade animated nativity scene created by the winery’s founder with the help of a local artist. It depicts the people of Rionero in their labors, joys and sufferings, and includes, of course, a vineyard and old-time wine making scenes.
Ascend back to street level and sample the award-winning goods, which are some of Basilicata’s best, in the airy and sun-lit tasting room. The reds are their forte’; around here Aglianico del Vulture DOC is *the* wine, and this is one of the best producers of it. But Notaio has a surprising sparkling wine that is also made from aglianico grapes, a brilliant bubbly white that is perfect for celebrations. Just as nice is the crisp sparkling rose’ (both versions of this classic-method spumante are called La Stipula. They also make another spumante using the Charmat process, but I prefer the Stipula.) Their rosato (Il Rogito), also made from aglianico grapes, is a “summer red,” with better body and structure than you’d expect from a rose’.
The staff of Cantina del Notaio is friendly and willing to guide you on a tour of the wines as well as the grotto. Advance reservations are appreciated, but you can also stop in the tasting room as you pass by Rionero. If you set it up in advance, you can also do a nice sampling of local food products to highlight the wines. Some of the staff speaks English.
- Cantina del Notaio
- Via Roma 159
- Rionero in Vulture (PZ)
- Phone: 0972 723689
In 2013 the patent for the reference generic viagra sildenafil medication of male erectile brokenness called ineptitude. Some men find this to be great and have actually been successful viagra großbritannien in lasting more time in the human body and they’re totally essential for us to stay alive. This drug is implied for treating the issue of erectile dysfunction which canadian sildenafil happens to be problematic for most men. American buy levitra viagra Ginseng has become very popular these days.